The end of August is fast approaching and the first school term is almost here.

Fresh school shirts have been bought, a small fortune has been spent on new shoes and new PE kits are waiting by the front door for September’s back to school shake up.

But what next?

Going from having endless amounts of free time across the holidays, straight back into a full-time learning schedule – packed full of new subjects, friends, teachers and maybe even new school bus – can often be a real shock to the system.

As adults, it’s easy to forget just how much of a change this can be for children. This can often lead to stress for our kids and disruption in their learning or behaviour. But there are ways we can help ease them back in, so they don't feel too much stress going back to school at the end of the holidays.

So, what can we do? Here are a few tips for helping your kids get into good habits before term starts.

1) Inspiration is key

Feeling inspired is really important as it’s often what drives your child’s thirst for knowledge.

After all, if something captures your imagination, you’re much more likely to want to learn about it.

Help your kids feel inspired before they go back to school by taking them to different places and events so that they can experience new things.

This might be a trip out to a museum for the day, a new event in the city or simply a day out in the countryside. That way they’re experiencing things such as history, technology and the environment but in a real-world setting.

2) Stay organised

When you pack so much into your day, staying organised is key.

Digital planners are great for this as it’s much easier to keep on top of who is doing what and when.

Having a white board somewhere in the home is equally just as good. Everyone can put down what activities they are doing throughout the week, and can write down lists of things like what homework needs to be done, as well as what they need to pack for the next day.

Things like PE and food technology often need prep in advance, so this is also great for knowing when certain things need to be bought or washed.

And when you’re done, they can keep everything ready in one of our cube furniture units which are great for easy storage and organisation.

3) Design a schedule

Going back to school can be a real drain for both kids and parents. And as a mum or dad, you don’t want to constantly be telling your children what to do. Help the day run more smoothly by getting them to invest time in designing their own schedule.

That way, they’re part of the decision-making process in how they should spend their time. Work through it together and come to an agreement before term starts. That way, when they’re back at school, they are more prepared for what they need to do and when.

4) Cut down on screen time

Finding the right balance between screens, homework and family time can be difficult when they first go back to school. Especially if they have had free reign of the games console for the past six weeks.

Help them to cut back on their screen time by introducing different activities for them to get involved in. That way they can start to reduce the amount of games they’re playing and build back their attention spans ready for school.

Provide them with opportunities to be creative with some fun activities. Drawing and writing prompts are ideal for children who are a little older.

5) Snack right

It doesn’t matter how much children eat during the day, they always seem to come home hungry!

Get them back into good habits for when school starts by helping them to prepare healthy snacks. That way, they can feed their tummies as well as their brains when they get home from school.

6) Activities

Activities outside of school are great for keeping your child engaged and they’re perfect for making new friends too.

Help encourage your child to take on a new sport or instrument as well as other things that they might like to do outside of school.

Things like painting, drawing and cooking are great for helping them switch off while swimming and Yoga are excellent for keeping fit as well as for stress.

7) Catch ups

Going back to school is an exciting time for many children as it’s often the first time they have seen their friends in a long while.

Help their concentration on the first day back by encouraging them to meet up with their friends a few days before school starts. That way, they get to get a lot of the chatting out of the way before they’re in the classroom.

Their teacher will certainly thank you for this too!

Getting your child to make as many decisions as possible when it comes to designing their new school schedule will really help them think about how they want to invest their time. And it will also make things run a lot more smoothly come the beginning of term.

Find more ideas and inspiration in our blog, or you can find us on Instagram and Facebook @HartleysDirect.